Tomatillo Taco Joint, New Haven

(Frank Cohen / Hartford Courant )

February 13, 2014|By Frank Cohen

Before there was a Moe’s in the New Haven area, before there was a Chipotle, there was The Whole Enchilada, which first awakened local appetites to the pleasure of having one’s choice of fresh ingredients crammed, along with rice and beans, into enchiladas, tacos and the like. But The Whole Enchilada closed shop in New Haven (it still has outlets in Durham, Guilford, North Branford and Westbrook).

Joining the local Mexican restaurant scene at the end of 2012 was (320 Elm St., New Haven), which has two other outlets (in Stamford and Greenwich) and isn’t ruling out the possibility of more. Certainly, the franchise potential is obvious, but for now Tomatillo seems to be proving that, without the buying power of a large chain behind it, it’s possible to compete with the price points of places like Moe’s and Chipotle’s while arguably exceeding their quality and tastiness.

Tomatillo follows a Build It, Fill It, Stuff It, Top It model. You build with your choice of three soft or crisp tacos, a burrito, a burrito bowl or a taco salad. You fill it with hacked chicken, braised beef, Baja fish, citrus marinated shrimp, dirty steak, pork carnitas, beef chili or guacamole with rice and beans. You stuff it with your choice of rice, beans, and/or sautéed onions and peppers. You top it with any number of salsas, garnishes or extras. If you’re like me, you don’t think rice and beans belong inside your creation and will ask for them on the side. The results are as delicious as your imagination.

Other standouts at Tomatillo are the smoothies and Jarritos sodas made with sugar rather than high fructose corn syrup, the generous guacamole and chips, the tres leches cake and the addictive churros with dulce de leche sauce. Fresh Mexican fare could hardly be tastier, cheaper or more convenient.